Futurists and CEOs love using this quote attributed to ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky, who apparently said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” These words have a specific resonance in relation to the Singapore art world in the 21st Century. Is Singapore going where the future […]
The Future is Here. Is the Singapore Art World Ready? Read More »
The Edge, at Lot’ng, 8–23 Dec This is a beautiful locally produced musical that explores the relationships and past of a man standing on the edge. Absolutely worth the watch, this award-winning show is now in its tenth anniversary and should not be missed. Seats are limited in this venue, so get your seats booked
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (3–9 Dec 2018) Read More »
Once chiefly employed in the decoration of wooden objects, son mai, or lacquer painting, has grown over the last century into a freestanding art form in Vietnam, to a point where it is now widely considered to be the country’s national painting technique. The traditional Vietnamese lacquer used in son mai is made by mixing the resin
‘Son mai’ – the painstaking Vietnamese art of lacquer painting (via Tuoi Tre News) Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and various cities in Indonesia from 3-9 December 2018 This week, you can catch many films under the 16 Film Festival at various cities in Indonesia. 16 Film Festival is a film festival that is created in line with UN Women’s 16 days of activism and campaign
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (3 – 9 December 2018) Read More »
Island Song by The Song and Dance Players (SoDa Players), Centre 42, 7 – 9 December In Island Song, five 20- to 30-something characters navigate their lives the same way they navigate the city: sometimes confidently, sometimes hopefully, and sometimes recklessly As the characters wander in and out of each other’s lives, whatever happens, the city is
Weekly Picks: Singapore (3 – 9 December 2018) Read More »
“When I collaborate, I want to collaborate with the wrong person.” Pichet Klunchun, Thai dancer, and director reveals a glint of mischief behind his earnest and gentle demeanor. “I am looking for misunderstandings, for opportunities to negotiate. When things are wrong, they are right.” [1] When I was initially brought as a dramaturg into the
Telling A Thai Tale: A Dance Dramaturg’s Take (via The Theatre Times) Read More »
An new art exhibition in Phnom Penh featuring works by Cambodian and foreign artists will raise questions about plastic use and recycling, through woodcarvings, illustrations and even a motorbike. On first arriving in Cambodia’s ever-expanding capital Phnom Penh, one is struck by the rubbish lying on the sides of the street; order noodle soup to
By Naeem Kapadia (885 words, four-minute read) First there’s its scale – with its magnificent marble dome, soaring pillars and lush surrounding gardens. Then, the perfect symmetry; it can literally be folded in half both forwards and backwards. Finally, the purity of that incandescent white marble. Commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum
“Guards at the Taj”: The Bloody Brushstrokes of Beauty Read More »
By Teo Xiao Ting Click here to open the Twine in a new tab (if you’re reading this on a mobile browser, or otherwise have trouble viewing the Twine.) The Reunification of the Two Koreas by TheatreWorks was originally written in French by Joël Pommerat. Directed by Jacques Vincey, this staging ran at 72-13 from 1
Down the Fast Food Chain of Desire in “The Reunification of the Two Koreas” Read More »
By Casidhe Ng (1,160 words, six-minute read) The breaking apart of Pangaea. The parting of the Red Sea. The abolitionist movement in all its contexts. The division of Taiwan and China in 1949. The separation of Singapore from Malaysia on 9th August 1965. The erecting of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Its complete fall in
Looking at Love from Both Sides, Now in “The Reunification of the Two Koreas” Read More »
An EDM (electronic dance music) festival scheduled to take place just outside Hanoi from November 23 to 25 was asked to cancel only hours before its opening, despite sold tickets and foreign and local artists and volunteers already heading to the venue. Artists and visitors on dozens of buses traveling some 40 kilometers from central
Organizers decry last-minute cancelation of Hanoi EDM festival (via Tuoi Tre News) Read More »
Click here to read this article in Malay. Klik di sini untuk baca rencana ini dalam Bahasa Melayu. It is rare to see social or political criticism delivered boldly and directly in Malaysian films. Even critical commentary, cloaked creatively, is difficult to do. There are many things that constrain creative freedom, not least the multiple legislations and regulations that bind the
“One Two Jaga”: The New Bravery of Malaysian Cinema Read More »
Symposium – How Easily Modernism Could Be Disturbed, at ILHAM Gallery, 1 Dec, 10am–6:30pm A symposium in conjunction with the Latiff Mohidin: Pago Pago (1960–1969) exhibition in the gallery. The entire programme looks interesting — conversations included discussions between writer Pauline Fan and ILHAM Gallery director Rahel Joseph; writer Goenawan Mohamad and art critic Lee Wheng
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (26 Nov – 2 Dec 2018) Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Yogyakarta and Solo from 26 November – 2 December 2018 We have two film festivals happening this week in Indonesia. The annual Japanese Film Festival (JFF) started last week in Makassar and this week the films are going to be screened in Yogyakarta before the festival continues to
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (26 November – 2 December 2018) Read More »
Guards at the Taj by Singapore Repertory Theatre, KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT, 14 Nov – 1 Dec 2018 A wickedly dark comedy based on a myth surrounding the Taj Mahal that “nothing so beautiful shall ever be built again”. Two long-term friends, Humayun and Babur stand guard at the Taj Mahal hours before
Weekly Picks: Singapore (26 November – 2 December 2018) Read More »
Duration: 36 min Chan Sze-Wei finds out more about the Asia Network for Dance (AND+) from one of its co-conveners Anna Chan, who was former head of Performing Arts and Dance for the West Kowloon Cultural District and current Dean of the School of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Stream Podcast 50
Podcast 50: Anna Chan, Asia Network for Dance (AND+) Read More »
As part of ArtsEquator’s interview series profiling artistic directors across the region, we spoke with Alan Oei, AD of The Substation and co-founder and executive director of OH! Open House, on his hopes, his challenges, and how he balances different needs and roles between the two companies. How do you come up with the themes
8 Questions with Alan Oei Read More »
By Kathy Rowland (910 words, five-minute read) Joe Sidek will not be cowed. “Everyone thinks I’m down and depressed. I’m fine!” It’s been a challenging year for the founder of the George Town Festival. In the foreground: the removal and public backlash following the censorship of Moorayameen Mohamad’s photo exhibition, Stripes and Strokes, at this
Joe Sidek: “I’ve never felt more strong” Read More »
KLEX 2018: Translucence, at various locations, 22–25 Nov An independent artist-run grassroots international festival of experimental film, video art and music. It’s a good introduction to contemporary experimental cinema and regional creative works. Admission is free for the lectures, and by suggested donations for performances (RM10 film, RM30 music at RAW Art Space, RM90 music
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (19–25 Nov 2018) Read More »
Some photographers are able to capture the most delicate moments deftly. With her project Living Choices, Singapore-based shooter Grace Baey showed her ability to do just that. Baey spent one month in Yangon taking pictures of the city’s trans population for the photo series — and despite the short time frame and limited window for gaining the
Grace Baey’s Portraits of Yangon’s Trans Population (via Coconuts Yangon) Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Bali, Solo and Jakarta from 19 – 25 November 2018 We start our picks this week from Sanur, Bali. Rumah Sanur Creative Hub is holding the exhibition Anxious Visual, a solo exhibition by Zulkarnain Putra Ramadhan. As a former inmate, Zulkarnain uses various sketches, photographs and installations to
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (19 – 25 November 2018) Read More »
Charlie by Bhumi Collective, Goodman Arts Centre Music Studio, 20 Nov – 7 Dec What would you say to an innocent child who has literally never seen the world? Bhumi Collective is delighted to present the Singapore premiere of Charlie by Victoria Chen, after two successful runs at the Edinburgh Student Arts Festival and the
Weekly Picks: Singapore (19 – 25 November 2018) Read More »
This review contains some spoilers of a few of the sight gags and plot points in Private Parts. Private Parts was first performed in 1992, and in this staging, it hasn’t been re-written. Given that in it, transgender characters and the people around them attempt to articulate what being transgender means, how the rest of
“Private Parts”: Sometimes You’ve Got to Fix What God Gave You Read More »
THE fact that arts and culture has the lowest priority in government planning was borne out by Budget 2019. Except for the RM30mil allocation for the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, there is no specific allocation for the creative industries of arts and culture to revitalise traditional arts and
Budget leaves arts and culture out in the cold (via The Star) Read More »
The seventh edition of the President’s Young Talents exhibition (PYT) opened 4 October 2018 at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). Since its first presentation in 2001, the platform has presented 38 artists, including this year’s Chen Yanyun, Chong Weixin, Debbie Ding, Hilmi Johandi and Zarina Muhammad. David Chan, Grace Tan, Zaki Razak, Roger Nelson, Jason
An Interview with Dr June Yap: President’s Young Talents 2018 Read More »
Bisikan Monsoon — Open Rehearsal, at Selangor & KL Kwang Tung Association, 13 Nov, 5:30pm An invitation to view the rehearsals for Kwang Tung Dance Company’s Bisikan Monsoon (the show is travelling to China later in the month). This opportunity is only open to 10 participants, and registration is required by Monday 12 Nov, with
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (12–18 Nov 2018) Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Bali, Bandung and Jakarta from 12 – 18 November 2018 If you’re in Bali, swing by the exhibition “Efek Samping” part of the Futuwonder Project: Masa Subur. The Masa Subur project is an interdisciplinary project that involves women artists in Indonesia. In this particular one, the artists selected
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (12 – 18 November 2018) Read More »
667, a Film Screening by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, 17 – 18 November 2018 Here’s your chance to catch 667 《回程667》 as the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre celebrates the latest win of local filmmaker, Jun Chong, whose debut short film Ke《客》, was awarded the Best Asian Short at the 13th Sapporo International Short Film Festival. The
Weekly Picks: Singapore (12 – 18 November 2018) Read More »
In post-colonial Southeast Asia, the constraint of politically-engaged artworks is not uncommon. One can see the spatial and temporal struggles through telling cases from the region: last July, Seven Decades was a retrospective of political prisoners’ narratives in and out of Myanmar that was aptly shown at the Pyinsa Rasa Art Space in the Secretariat
Mirrored Interrogations Read More »
By Nabilah Said (1000 words, four-minute read) The most powerful moment of akulah BIMBO SAKTI’s Cerita Cinta is the end. To be perfectly clear, it is a dream of a production. The six-person ensemble is tight, the design is exacting, the 90-minute runtime breezes by. Credit goes to presenter The Esplanade for restaging this 1995
A History of Violence: The Sharp Edges of “Cerita Cinta” Read More »
